Was Perry’s compliment of Davis legit or back-handed?

Gov. Rick Perry used a Sunday appearance on Fox News to clarify comments made last month about state Sen. Wendy Davis that some took as an insult.

Following Davis’ now infamous filibuster of the Perry-supported abortion bill, the governor said it was “unfortunate that she (Davis) hasn’t learned from her own example.”

Divorce left Davis a single mother at age 19, but still she managed to later graduate first in her class at Texas Christian University and be accepted to Harvard Law School.

Perry’s own Republican Party teammate, House Speaker Joe Straus, said the governor damaged both Perry and the party by crossing a line “into the personal.”

Sunday, Perry told Fox News correspondent John Roberts that the comment was intended as a compliment.

“Actually, those comments were meant to be a compliment to her for what she had accomplished in her life, and you think about where she came from, what she’s accomplished,” Perry said. “And as a matter of fact, I would think that she’s very proud of that as well.

“My point was that saving a life and letting that life come to its fulfillment and all the good things that happened, you never know when who’s going to be considered to be an extraordinary individual who’s going to make that real impact and life. And that was our point that we were making, and nothing else, nothing more.”

Check out the video and decide for yourself. Was Perry’s comment about Davis legit or back-handed? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.